Residents question sports park change

IMPERIAL BEACH  An opportunity for the city of Imperial Beach to partner with the South Bay Family YMCA sparked contention at a recent council meeting.

The hot topic Wednesday ﻿focused on the need for another agency to take on maintenance and operations for the city’s Sports and Recreation Park.

The city can no longer afford to fund the park and for the last several months has explored alternatives with the goal to expand the quality and quantity of recreational services.

“At the end of the fiscal year we were confronted once again with a number of fiscal challenges,” Assistant City Manager Greg Wade said, adding that the bulk of it stemmed from the elimination of redevelopment.

The Sports Park is comprised of the recreation center, softball and Little League fields and provides a potential source of greater revenue and improved community benefit, according to city staff.

The city has invested about $1.7 million in improvements to the park since 2000.

From August 2011 through June 2012, staff presented the council with options for increasing revenues, including updating user fees and providing additional recreation programs and services.

In June, the city put out a request for proposals and received three responses from the Boys & Girls Club of South County, Calvary Chapel Youth Sports Program and South Bay Family YMCA.

City staff found the most “responsive and cost-effective” proposal was submitted by the Y and in July began informal discussions.

However, the majority of residents who packed the chambers to speak on the issue Wednesday ﻿opposed the intervention, citing too high of a cost, a desire to keep the park public and the need for a public forum to further vet concerns.

In exchange for providing operational services including electricity and water utility costs, the Y proposed a $25 per player, per season fee and $25 per hour for the use of lights on all fields for girls softball and Little League.

Little League treasurer Nick Murnighan ﻿said the Imperial Beach Little League has been a part of this community for 56 years.

“Imperial Beach has the highest unemployment rate,” Murnighan said. “I don’t think that the majority of the community can afford that kind of an impact on their budget.”

Instead, Murnighan suggested the city utilize all the volunteers it can get.

“Let Imperial Beach keep its sports park a public park,” he said. “Let’s not privatize the park with the YMCA.”

The Y’s proposal requested an annual membership cost of $96 for youth ages 5 to 11 and $150 for those ages 12 to 17. In addition, youth sports program pricing would range from $43 to $65 for residents and up to $75 for non residents.

Serge Dedina. co-founder and executive director of WiLDCOAST, said the city should reconsider the option.

“You’ve managed to anger people who gave their lives to making Imperial Beach a better place,” Dedina said. “We’re talking about charging the most at-risk kids, the lowest income kids.”

Councilman Ed Spriggs said the $25 charge could be the end for girls softball and Little League.